The American Standards of Testing Materials (ASTM) has strict requirements for the characteristics of electrical linemen's gloves, which include toughness, hardness, elongation to break, puncture resistance and strength, as outlined in ASTM-D120. In addition, the gloves must be flexible enough to allow the workmen to handle small objects and perform intricate manipulations. Currently available linemen's gloves, particularly after long periods of use, have been observed to cause significant fatigue in the hands of the user due to their relative stiffness and inflexibility. As such, the user's dexterity and ability to manipulate small objects can decrease significantly after long periods of wearing the gloves.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide rubber-based elastomeric compositions suitable for use in the manufacture of linemen's gloves that exhibit improved flexural characteristics. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the inventive subject matter and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the inventive subject matter.